11-year-old New York student banned from choosing Trump as ‘Hero’ for school project

An 11-year-old New York student said her teacher told her she wasn’t allowed to select President Donald Trump as her “hero” in a school project because he spread negativity and said bad stuff about women.

Valerie Moscato told News 12 Long Island that her 11-year-old daughter, Bella Moscato, a sixth-grader at the Samoset Middle School in Ronkonkoma, New York, had wanted to choose President Donald Trump as her hero in the project. Moscato stated Bella has idolized President Donald Trump since she was 8 years old and even dressed up as Trump for another school project she had when she was in third-grade.

When Bella decided to select Trump as her “hero” for her project this time around, her teacher immediately shut down her idea. The teacher said that Trump “spreads negativity and says bad stuff about women,” in front of the class and another teacher.

Bella told her mother that the teacher, who has not been named, also told her that President Barack Obama would be acceptable, instead of Donald Trump.

“That’s what got me angry,” she added.

As the incident, Bella’s mother and father, Valerie and Arthur Moscato, rebuked the teacher’s decision during their last school board meeting. The couple believed the teacher’s actions amount to “intimidation and censorship,” claiming she violated her daughter’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

“You know, my daughter has every right to pick a hero of her choice,” Valerie said, “It’s First Amendment right, freedom of speech, freedom of expression.”

Dr. Kenneth Graham, the superintendent of the Sachem Central School District, said the child’s statement was not accurate since the student, by choice, was still conducting her hero project on the president.

In a document about the class assignment obtained by News 12 Long Island, Bella explained why she chose Trump as her hero, answering the question of “What positive contribution has this person made to society?”

“Donald Trump has helped millions of people by creating a great economy,” Bella wrote, “He is fighting every day to protect the people from drugs crossing the border.”